Spool



Sept. 14, 1937.

c. K. DUNLAP SPOOL filed Dec. 5, 1954 Patented Sept. 14, 1937 PATENT OFFICE Charles K. Dunlap,

Sonoco Products sPooL HaF tsville, S. 0., assig'nor to Company, Hartsville, S. C.,'a

V corporation' of South Carolina 7 Application December 3, 1934, Serial No. 755,792

7 Claims.

This invention relatesto spools and particularly to means for securing the head or end portion of a spool to the cylindrical barrel or core thereof.

Many types of spools and bobbins for use in the textile industry have heretofore been designed or suggested and a spool which has found popular favor by reason of its cheapness and light-weight is one fabricated entirely of paper, or.h-aving a paper barrel and paper or metallic ends. A paper spool possesses the advantage of ruggedness in conjunction with light-weight, since it will not break during transportation or when subjected to shock. One difiiculty, however, met with in the fabrication and use of a spool or'bobbin, the cylindrical core or barrel of which is formed of paper, consists in finding suitable means for staunchly connecting the base or head to the barrel. This connection should be secure, inas much as the spool or bobbin is called upon to support relatively large windings of thread or yarn the ends of which press against the base of the bobbin or the heads of the spool, as the case may be, and tend to move these members outwardly along the barrel. In some cases, the pressure is sufiiciently great to wholly dislodge the spool and/or bobbin base and thereby efiect 'the release of the end windings of the thread package, thus making the package unusable.

In accordance with the present invention, a very simple means for securing the base portion to the barrel of a bobbin, or the end portions to the barrel of a spool, is suggested and whereby a complete bobbin or spool is caused to result which it is practically impossible to destroy in normal use by separation of the base or head from the barrel portion due to thread pressure.

The invention is applicable to bobbins, single headed spools, double headed spools, and in other places'where it is desired to secure a base or head upon a cylindrical paper barrel. In the following description and in the appended claims, the word spool should be considered to be a generic term, including both spools and. bobbins of all kinds.

Two forms of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawing by way of example.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a spool, a portion of the lower end being broken away to show the novel means for attaching the base to the barrel;

Figure 2 is a similar view with slightly modified form of attachment means, this form resulting from the relative axial movement of the I is any tendencylqr the base base and barrel of and r Figure 3 is a view of a modified form of the invention.

Figure 4 is .a partial section through the spool shown in- Figure 2, but on a somewhat larger scale. r I r r In each of the three, views, the cylindrical barrel of the spool is indicated by the numeral No. 619,753, filed June 28, 1932, now Patent No.

the spool shown in Figure 1; I

2,013,747 of Sept. 10, 1935. Prior to the assembly ofthe barrel I0 and base or head H, a plurality of staples l2 are affixed to the wall of the barrel adjacent one end, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. These staples are ordinarily soft wire staples the ends of which are clinched over as shown. The staples are preferably four in number, are disposed in planes passing through the axis of the barrel l0, and are of such character as to define, exten'orly of the cylindrical outer surface of the barrel I0, open loops, as shown in Figure 1. Encircling the barrel and passing through all of the loops defined by the several staples is a metallic ring l3.

The spool shown in Figure 1 may be considered, if desired, as fully completed when the base II has been moved axially of the barrel l0 until its conical inner surface has been brought into contact with the upper outer corner of the several staples, as shown in Figurel. If there barrel, a suitable adhesive may be applied to prevent slipping and the loops l2 used as further supports for maintaining the base and barrel in coaxial relationship.

On the other hand, the base ll may be moved axially of the barrel ill from the position in which it is shown in Figure 1 to the position in which it is shown in Figure 2, if desired, thus distoring the loops defined by the staples l2, the downward movement of the base I I on the barrel being continued until the ring I3 is tightly wedged between the base and barrel, while retained by the several wire loops. In this downward movement of the base, or more correctly, relative movement l l to slip upon the that material softer than of the base and barrel, the upper portion of each wire loop is swaged inwardly to lie tightly against the surface of the barrel and to lie intermediate the barrel and the cylindrical surface of the inner margin of the base ll. As a matter of fact, the upper portion of each distorted staple will lie partly in a groove I0 formed in the outer surface of the barrel and partly in a groove H formed. in the cylindrical surface of the inner margin of the base so that the base and barrel are locked against relative rotation by the several staples, serving as keys, being partially barrel and partially embedded in the base.

described, a spool is produced in which it is practically impossible to dislodge the base from the barrel without breakage and distortion of either held in the; 20 position shown in Figure 2 by the several staples the base or the barrel. The ring l3,

acting as retaining straps, positively "prevents further downward movement of the base upon the barrel. If desired, this ring may be of cord or other material than metal, it having been found metal, but which is not completely compressible, will function just as well when retainedby the strap-like staples.

In the form of the invention shown in Figure 3, the staplesemployed are fabricated of flat metalhe straps rather than of round wire, and also no cal cores of paper.

ring, such as used in connection with the invention shown in Figures 1 and 2, is employed. After the initial application ofthe several staples [5, however, the base or head II is applied and movedto dotted line position. It'may-be thereafter in this position, supported by the upper ends of the undistorted staples, and further secured by any adhesive which may be applied, or it may be moved downwardly with respect to the barrel H), from the dotted tojthe full line position, thus distorting the loops, causing the upward portions of the staples to be mashed into the surface of the barrel and into the inner edge of the base, and doubling up the lower portions of the several loops to form non-yielding abutments, as shown in the drawing. Further downwardmovement of the base upon the barrel is positively prevented.

The attachment means just described and the method of attaching together the two principal members of a spool or bobbin are particularly useful in connection with spools having cylindri- The staples are readily attached and will maintain their positions. The completed article is extremely strong, having in mind the resistance to further relative sliding of the base upon the barrel, and a ivery superior article is provided at only slightly increased cost.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to'be secured by Letters Patent is 1. A spool comprising a cylindrical barrel and imbedded in the W barrel at axially spaced points.

If forces are applied to-thebarrel andzbase to effect the distortion of the. several staples, justwhich saidmembers extend projecting laterally therefrom and engaged by a surface of the head, said elements being distortable and being adapted to permit relatively short movement of the head on the barrel.

2. In a spool, in combination, a barrel, a base encircling the barrel, 2. ring encircling the barrel at a point outside of the base, and means for retaining the ring including strap-like metallic members each having its ends connected to the forth in claim 2 in between the mutually facing cylindrical surfaces of barrel and base and lock said barrel and base against relative rotation.

4. A spool or bobbin comprising a barrel portion and an end or base, the base being apertured and the barrel extending through said aperture, and means for securing the end or base upon the barrel at the end thereof, said means including metallic elements secured-to the barrel at points beyond the base, all of which elements engage a 3. The combination set surface of the base, said elements being distortable to permit movement of the base toward the end of'theba'rrel under pressure of a thread package, and forming, after such distortion, a firm limiting stop positively preventing further movement of said head along the barrel.

5. A spool comprising a cylindrical barrel and a centrally apertured head through which the barrel projects, a plurality of distortable elements projecting radially from the barrel at points beyond the head, all of said elements engaging the outer surface ofthe head, said elements being designed and formed to permit movement of the head toward the end of the barrel for a limited distance and to thereafter collectively comprise a fixed stop for the head.

6. A spool comprising a cylindrical barrel, a. head having a central cylindrical aperture through which the barrel projects, the inner surface of said aperture closely encircling the barrel, and a plurality of metallic securing members each of which is anchored to the barrel so as to extend longitudinally of the barrel and each having a portion intermediate the mutually facing cylindrical surfaces of the barrel and head and a portion projecting beyond the head, that portion of each such member lying beyond the head being doubled upon itself and comprising a looped head supporting abutment projecting radially of the barrel.

'7. The combination set forth in claimG in which the metallic securing members lie within 

